The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

As Kobe Bryant once said, “There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own.”
That’s why the Learning Leader Show exists—to get together and understand the journeys of successful leaders, so that we can better understand our own.
This show is full of stories told by world-class leaders. Personal stories of successes, failures, and lessons learned along the way. Our guests come from diverse backgrounds—some are best-selling authors, others are genius entrepreneurs, and one even made a million dollars wearing t-shirts for a year. My role in this endeavor is to talk to the smartest, most creative, always-learning leaders in the world so that we can learn from them as we each create our own journeys.

Episode 041: Bob Burg - Long Term Success The Go-Giver Way | Winning People Over Without Manipulation

Bob Burg is one of the most giving human beings I’ve ever met. Prior to us recording this episode, Bob consistently went out of his way to try and help me prepare and improve my podcast… Since we recorded he has introduced me to many extremely intelligent learning leaders. I am so grateful to Bob and so fortunate to call him a friend. This was a fantastic episode where we covered a ton of topics ranging from the definition of success to the importance of great sales professionals.

Bob Burg is a sought-after speaker at corporate conferences and for entrepreneurial events. He regularly addresses audiences ranging in size from 50 to 16,000 — sharing the platform with notables including today’s top thought leaders, broadcast personalities, Olympic athletes and political leaders including a former United States President.

Although for years he was best known for his book Endless Referrals, over the past few years it’s his business parable, The Go-Giver (coauthored with John David Mann) that has captured the heart and imagination of his readers.

Bob’s newest book is Adversaries into Allies: Win People over without Manipulation or Coercion.

Episode 041: Bob Burg - Long Term Success The Go-Giver Way | Winning People Over Without Manipulation

This was a jam packed episode full of great content. Bob Burg is a leader who is constantly learning in order to help us all live a better life. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

Bob Burg is a sought-after speaker at corporate conferences and for entrepreneurial events. He regularly addresses audiences ranging in size from 50 to 16,000 — sharing the platform with notables including today’s top thought leaders, broadcast personalities, Olympic athletes and political leaders including a former United States President.

Although for years he was best known for his book Endless Referrals, over the past few years it’s his business parable, The Go-Giver (coauthored with John David Mann) that has captured the heart and imagination of his readers.

Bob’s newest book is Adversaries into Allies: Win People Over Without Manipulation or Coercion.

Bob is an advocate, supporter and defender of the Free Enterprise system, believing that the amount of money one makes is directly proportional to how many people they serve. And, he is also an unapologetic animal fanatic.

For more information, articles and free resources, please visit www.Burg.com

Episode 040: John Lee Dumas – Building A Brand From Nothing To Becoming A Millionaire Podcaster

This was a fantastic episode with John Lee Dumas. John is an inspiration to anyone who strives to create something from nothing and thrive. He started his podcast in September of 2012 and in May he made $525,059 in revenue. In addition to this, John coaches and mentors others to help them on their podcast journeys. When I was starting my podcast, John was one of the first people I reached out to in order to learn the craft and get some much needed guidance.

John Lee Dumas is the Founder and Host of EntrepreneurOnFire, an award winning Podcast revealing the journey of today's most inspiring Entrepreneurs 7-days a week. With over 1 million unique listens a month, and subscribers in 145 countries, thanks to compelling dialogue with interview sources such as Tim Ferris, Barbara Corcoran, Brian Tracy and Seth Godin, EntrepreneurOnFire generates over $450,000 a month in revenue.

Episode 040: John Lee Dumas – Building A Brand From Nothing To Becoming A Millionaire Podcaster

I love learning from people who bring a new idea to the table… That is what Catriona has done. Catriona is an extremely interesting person. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

John Lee Dumas is the Founder and Host of EntrepreneurOnFire, an award winning Podcast revealing the journey of today's most inspiring Entrepreneurs 7-days a week. With over 1 million unique listens a month, and subscribers in 145 countries, thanks to compelling dialogue with interview sources such as Tim Ferris, Barbara Corcoran, Brian Tracy and Seth Godin, EntrepreneurOnFire generates over $450,000 a month in revenue.

Episode 039: Nate Holzapfel – One Of The Best Shark Tank Pitches Of All Time | Teaming With Daymond John

I love discussing how we can all better serve our customer base. The best way to create and grow a thriving business is to create customer loyalty. Nate Holzapfel is an expert at accomplishing this task. He goes into detail on this topic in this episode.

Similarly to innovators such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and even Elizabeth Holmes, Nate dropped out of college to pursue a career in sales. Having sold everything from cars, to insurance in Mexico, to even houses over the phone, Nate Holzapfel became an expert in sales & marketing.

In June 2012, he launched Mission Belt Company. The accessory industry has always held a huge portion of the fashion industry, however, no one company had focused solely on belts.

In spring of 2013, Nate appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, pitching the Mission Belt to seek a capital investment. He struck a deal with fashion mogul and branding expert, Daymond John. Nate pitched to the Sharks that the “old way of selling is dead.” His ideology and method proved not only correct, but to be a huge success.

Episode 039: Nate Holzapfel – One Of The Best Shark Tank Pitches Of All Time | Teaming With Daymond John

Episode 001: How To Become A Master Connector With Jayson Gaignard From MasterMind Talks

Episode 033: ErikRydholm – How To Become ESPN’s Most Powerful Producer

Episode 032: Steve Sims – How To Create World Class Experiences | Why Elon Musk Is A Great Learning Leader

Did you enjoy the podcast?

I love discussing how we can build loyalty with our customers. Nate has mastered this vital skill. I loved this episode. I’m proud to say that Nate has become a friend. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

Similarly to innovators such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and even Elizabeth Holmes, Nate dropped out of college to pursue a career in sales. Having sold everything from cars, to insurance in Mexico, to even houses over the phone, Nate Holzapfel became an expert in sales & marketing. He states, “I’ve always been good at my job and was always a top performer. But I felt trapped. I sold everything I own and put all of my efforts into the best idea I had. The rest is history.”

In June 2012, he launched Mission Belt Company. The accessory industry has always held a huge portion of the fashion industry, however, no one company had focused solely on belts. Fashion houses designed and created them as an afterthought. Nate had a vision to create a company that made only belts, the first of its kind in the fashion industry to ever truly brand a belt. Oakley was first with Sunglasses, Skull Candy was successful with making headphones a fashionable accessory, and Nate’s vision was to accomplish this with Mission Belts.

In spring of 2013, Nate appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank, pitching the Mission Belt to seek a capital investment. He struck a deal with fashion mogul and branding expert, Daymond John. Nate pitched to the Sharks that the “old way of selling is dead.” His ideology and method proved not only correct, but to be a huge success.

Find out how Nate Holzapfel not only survived in a struggling economy, but thrived in it. Create your own economy or expand upon your already solid foundation with “The Nate State of Mind” using Nate’s expertise. Nate has traveled the country as a keynote speaker and hired to assist individuals, small businesses and multinational corporations. Instead of using clichés and one-liners, Nate will speak directly to your team from his heart with meaningful, real life experiences sharing information that is relevant to growing your business in today’s world.

This episode was absolutely packed full of action oriented takeaways to help us become better at exercising the gratitude muscle. In addition to this, John truly lives by what he says… He sent me handcrafted custom made knives with this engraving, “Hand crafted for the Ryan and Miranda Hawk Family.” He also added my Learning Leader Show logo on the knives. One of the most incredible gifts I’ve ever received!

John Ruhlin is the founder and CEO of Ruhlin Group, a firm that specializes in high-level gifting plans to build relationships and acquire new clients.

The company was originally founded as a way to market Cutco Cutlery as a high-end corporate gift to companies of all sizes. This partnership with Cutco has allowed the company to become the No. 1 distributor of Cutco in the company’s 60-year history and an active consultant to its executives and leadership.

John currently resides just outside of St. Louis with his wife, Lindsay, and two kids. He’s the co-author of the best-selling book “Cutting Edge Sales” and is a sought-after speaker on the topics of C-level selling, relationship development, and strategic gifting.

This was a jam packed episode full of great content. Ben Greenfield is leader who is constantly learning in order to help us all live a better life. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

John Ruhlin is the founder and CEO of Ruhlin Group, a firm that specializes in high-level gifting plans to build relationships and acquire new clients.

The company was originally founded as a way to market Cutco Cutlery as a high-end corporate gift to companies of all sizes. This partnership with Cutco has allowed the company to become the No. 1 distributor of Cutco in the company’s 60-year history and an active consultant to its executives and leadership.

John currently resides just outside of St. Louis with his wife, Lindsay, and two kids. He’s the co-author of the best-selling book “Cutting Edge Sales” and is a sought-after speaker on the topics of C-level selling, relationship development, and strategic gifting.

Episode 037: Aaron Walker – Success AND Significance – The Importance Of Both | A View From The Top

Aaron Walker is a great leader and an even better human being. I’m very fortunate to now call him a friend. He truly looks out for others and has some interesting giveaways to all of YOU… The loyal listeners of The Learning Leader Show.

For 19 years and counting, Aaron has taken classes from and has been coached personally by his friend, financial guru, Dave Ramsey. Spiritual mentors David Landrith and Bob Warren have impacted his spiritual life beyond measure. Two other disciplined mastermind groups, 48 Days led by friend Dan Miller and The Torch have played a role in his understanding of how to live a significant, successful life. Aaron incorporates education and learning opportunities into his daily routine, remaining informed of the latest tools and trends available.

Businessman and Life Coach, Aaron T. Walker, has inspired many through his leadership, mentorship, and consistent pursuit of excellence. He enjoys helping others and believes experience is a great teacher. 35 years of entrepreneurship and marriage have given Aaron a wealth of experience. Aaron continues to reach new heights and broaden his perspective of the terrain by examining his experiences and growing from them.

Episode 037: Aaron Walker – Success AND Significance – The Importance Of Both | A View From The Top

This was a jam packed episode full of great content. Aaron Walker is leader who is constantly learning in order to help us all live a better life. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

Businessman and Life Coach, Aaron T. Walker, has inspired many through his leadership, mentorship, and consistent pursuit of excellence. He enjoys helping others and believes experience is a great teacher. 35 years of entrepreneurship and marriage have given Aaron a wealth of experience. Aaron continues to reach new heights and broaden his perspective of the terrain by examining his experiences and growing from them.

For 19 years and counting, Aaron has taken classes from and has been coached personally by his friend, financial guru, Dave Ramsey. Spiritual mentors David Landrith and Bob Warren have impacted his spiritual life beyond measure. Two other disciplined mastermind groups, 48 Days led by friend Dan Miller and The Torch have played a role in his understanding of how to live a significant, successful life. Aaron incorporates education and learning opportunities into his daily routine, remaining informed of the latest tools and trends available.

It only took a few years as a partner with David Patton Construction LLC for Aaron to help take the business from doing one to two projects per year to a multi-million dollar company, voted number one builder for three consecutive years by Nashville's House & Home & Garden Magazine's People's Choice Awards. He sold his retail business to Cash America USA, a Fortune 500 company. In addition to being the owner of eight lucrative businesses, Aaron participates in civic endeavors.

Through his participation in personal accountability groups, Aaron mentors 11 individuals weekly now and has for over five years. The Eagles Group, a collection of Nashville's most respected leaders met weekly for over a decade. At his local church, Aaron is an active member, team leader, Deacon, and teacher.

Aaron values his time spent with family and friends. Sharing the past 35 years with his lovely wife Robin has been nothing short of spectacular. His two fantastic daughters and champion sons-in-law have given Aaron & Robin four beautiful grandchildren. When time allows, Aaron enjoys hunting, fishing, golf, and is an avid reader. A graduate of George Washington University (Economics), Johnson lives in Portland, Oregon. He considers himself a full-time student of books and a bad chess player in good practice.

Episode 036: Chris Johnson – “The Relationships You Have Will Define The Quality Of Your Life” | Working with Seth Godin, Ariana Huffington, and Ryan Holiday

This episode was absolutely packed full of action oriented takeaways to help us all improve in each of our environments. I love the strategy Chris employs to maintain such a great and giving network… You’ll learn about his 52X group, his 8X group, and his 2X group. These are new strategies that haven’t been shared before that you can implement today.

Chris Johnson is the founder of Simplifilm, a motion graphics and trailer studio for bestselling authors, startups, and Fortune 500 companies. He’s a ceaseless entrepreneur and salesman who has tested his skills at everything from political fundraising, web design and real estate. Since founding Simplifilm in 2010, he’s become a paid advisor to leaders in many fields including New York Times bestselling authors and entrepreneurs and worked for and with the likes of Brad Feld, Ryan Holiday, Robert Greene, Seth Godin and many others.

A graduate of George Washington University (Economics), Johnson lives in Portland, Oregon. He considers himself a full-time student of books and a bad chess player in good practice.

Episode 036: Chris Johnson – “The Relationships You Have Will Define The Quality Of Your Life” | Working with Seth Godin, Ariana Huffington, and Ryan Holiday

This was a jam packed episode full of great content. Chris Johnson is leader who is constantly learning in order to help us all live a better life. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

Chris Johnson is the founder of Simplifilm, a motion graphics and trailer studio for bestselling authors, startups, and Fortune 500 companies. He’s a ceaseless entrepreneur and salesman who has tested his skills at everything from political fundraising, web design and real estate. Since founding Simplifilm in 2010, he’s become a paid advisor to leaders in many fields including New York Times bestselling authors and entrepreneurs and worked for and with the likes of Brad Feld, Ryan Holiday, Robert Greene, Seth Godin and many others.

A graduate of George Washington University (Economics), Johnson lives in Portland, Oregon. He considers himself a full-time student of books and a bad chess player in good practice.

This was a very interesting conversation with Dr. Catriona Wallace… Catriona has an extremely interesting story to tell about the multiple businesses she runs and how she does it. She is based out of Australia but also spends a great amount of time in The United States to grow her businesses on a global scale.

Catriona is the CEO of three Sydney-based companies, Fifth Quadrant, a Customer Experience Strategy, Design, Research & Analyst firm; Flamingo, a Customer Engagement & Analytics platform software company (www.flamingo.io) and ACA Research, a full service market research firm.

In 2014 Catriona was inducted into the Australian Business Women's Hall of Fame, was selected as one of the top Australian female entrepreneurs by Springboard Enterprises and was a Finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Telstra Business Women's Awards.

Catriona has a Phd in Organisational Behaviour: Leadership. She is a well published author and international public speaker on the topics of the Future of Customer Experience, Co-creation, Entrepreneurism and Innovation, Data Analytics, new models of Leadership and new models of Philanthropy.

Catriona is also the mother of 5 kids.

Episode 035: Dr. Catriona Wallace – How To Go Where The Money Is…

Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher Radio.

The Learning Leader Show

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what brings you alive.”

Some Questions I Ask:

What are common characteristics of people who have achieved success?

What do you feel obligated to?

How do you ensure to always go where the money is?

What is the importance of having the end game in mind?

How do you manage to run 4 businesses at once? And be a single mother to 5 kids?

Which individual leader has had the most influence on you?

“Your business needs three things: Money, Sales, and Vision.”

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

The importance of having a strong purpose

That Catriona once worked with the police force (but that it was corrupt)

The importance of focusing on the user experience (Facebook, Instagram)

The 3 most important aspects of running a business (Money, Sales, Vision)

Why we must be uncomfortable at all times to grow

The need to take risks

A learning leader is always listening to the market and finding the gap

I love learning from people who bring a new idea to the table… That is what Catriona has done. Catriona is an extremely interesting person. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

Catriona is the CEO of three Sydney-based companies, Fifth Quadrant, a Customer Experience Strategy, Design, Research & Analyst firm; Flamingo, a Customer Engagement & Analytics platform software company (www.flamingo.io) and ACA Research, a full service market research firm.

In 2014 Catriona was inducted into the Australian Business Women's Hall of Fame, was selected as one of the top Australian female entrepreneurs by Springboard Enterprises and was a Finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Telstra Business Women's Awards.

In 2013 Catriona led the Fifth Quadrant Group to win the Telstra Business Awards NSW Business of the Year & NSW Medium Business of the Year.

Catriona has a Phd in Organisational Behaviour: Leadership. She is a well published author and international public speaker on the topics of the Future of Customer Experience, Co-creation, Entrepreneurism and Innovation, Data Analytics, new models of Leadership and new models of Philanthropy.

Catriona is also the founder of Philanthropic funds - Indigo Express Fund which funds Indigenous Literacy; Kids in Philanthropy which mobilizes children to have a broader social consciousness and fund children in need; and Out & Up an employment Program for Women Prisoners, Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

I am honored to know Jimmy Hatch. He truly is an American Hero. He was wounded while on a search mission for Bowe Bergdahl (the US Soldier who has since been charged with desertion). This episode was incredible. To hear the real life stories and the danger that Jimmy has been in to serve our great country is incredibly inspiring.

In July 2009, Jimmy Hatch’s team - part of the Navy's Special Warfare Development Group - was on a search mission in eastern Afghanistan. The warriors landed in the dark and were hit with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades as they made their way across a field.

Jimmy was an old hand at this kind of mission. He'd become a SEAL in 1990 and joined his elite unit in 1994, back when there was no war. After six years, he left the unit to teach parachuting. When war broke out, he pushed hard to get back to Virginia Beach.

That was in 2004. Now, five years later, Jimmy was a senior chief, a leader of expert commandos, strong and alert and brimming with confidence. He was one of the toughest guys in the world. The bullet that found his leg exploded through his femur just above the knee. It exited with pieces of bone and flung him through the air. The pain was exquisite. In the seconds it took him to land, he told himself not to scream because that would give away the location of the men around him. Then his lungs filled with air, and he couldn't help it. He screamed in agony. Two SEALs shot their way through the firefight, stabilized him and shot their way back out to pull him to safety. – Credit Dianna Cahn from hamptonroads.com/

Spikes K9 Fund was founded by James Hatch, a retired Special Warfare Operator. As a K9 handler on several deployments, James’ life was regularly spared by the work of K9s – one of the most memorable was Spike. And on James’ final deployment, the night he was critically wounded, a K9 spared James’ life while losing his own. From that evening on, James oriented his life around the training, care and preservation of working dogs. In addition to working as the founder and president of the fund, he works with local law enforcement and has adopted a former service dog in need of medical attention.

From Dianna Cahn: hamptonroads.com -- In July 2009, Jimmy Hatch’s team - part of the Navy's Special Warfare Development Group - was on a search mission in eastern Afghanistan. The warriors landed in the dark and were hit with gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades as they made their way across a field.

Jimmy was an old hand at this kind of mission. He'd become a SEAL in 1990 and joined his elite unit in 1994, back when there was no war. After six years, he left the unit to teach parachuting. When war broke out, he pushed hard to get back to Virginia Beach.

That was in 2004. Now, five years later, Jimmy was a senior chief, a leader of expert commandos, strong and alert and brimming with confidence. He was one of the toughest guys in the world. The bullet that found his leg exploded through his femur just above the knee. It exited with pieces of bone and flung him through the air. The pain was exquisite. In the seconds it took him to land, he told himself not to scream because that would give away the location of the men around him. Then his lungs filled with air, and he couldn't help it. He screamed in agony. Two SEALs shot their way through the firefight, stabilized him and shot their way back out

Episode 033: Erik Rydholm – How To Become ESPN’s Most Powerful Producer

I am always fascinated to learn about how something great gets created… In addition to that, I love to learn about the day to day process on how that same thing continues to be great and improve on a daily basis. Erik Rydholm shares the details behind how three great TV shows were created and the work it takes on a daily basis in order to continually improve. This is an incredible episode of The Learning Leader Show. Erik is extremely intelligent, engaging, and giving. I love this episode.

Erik Rydholm is Executive Producer of Pardon The Interruption (With Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon), Around The Horn, Dan LeBatard is Highly Questionable. Erik has pioneered the growth of PTI as the program has increased ratings and viewership each year since its inception, and it earned the 2009 Emmy for Outstanding Studio Show.

Episode 033: Erik Rydholm – How To Become ESPN’s Most Powerful Producer

This was a jam packed episode full of great content. Erik Rydholm is a thoughtful leader who brought huge value to The Learning leader Show. Who do you know that needs to hear this? Send them to The Learning Leader Show!

Erik Rydholm is Executive Producer of Pardon The Interruption (With Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon), Around The Horn, Dan LeBatard is Highly Questionable. Erik has pioneered the growth of PTI as the program has increased ratings and viewership each year since its inception, and it earned the 2009 Emmy for Outstanding Studio Show.